I love to eat. I am not a foody, but Mary is.
I love nice clothes. I am not a shopper, but Mary is.
I love to travel. I don’t know places well.
But Mary knows all these things.
It’s relaxing to travel with friends like Mary because they hold in their hands all the knowledge they need as they negotiate the world – their cell phone accessed by yelp. They know facts about everything. They check me in to all the places we go. Life is never boring when I am with my friends.
Within 7 minutes of arriving at the Double Tree in Berkeley, we were back in the hotel parking lot to catch the shuttle that took us to the North Berkeley BART station. Within one minute of descending the elevator, the train arrived, and we were whisked under the Bay to San Francisco. Manny wasn’t wearing his concrete shoes, so we made it safely to the other side.
The perfect weather beckoned me to dwaddle, so I left my camera in my purse. Everything I saw I wanted to photograph, but I resisted temptation, and left my camera asleep in my purse along with Manny. I know – I’d make a terrible Teddy Bear Rights Advocate!
It was 3:00 p.m., and we hadn’t eaten lunch. We hustled to the Ferry Station where food choices surrounded us. It was impossible not to find a good place to eat.
Unfortunately I had eaten a spinach artichoke quiche at Panera’s AND a bagel for breakfast at about 9:30 a.m.l! Yikes – don’t do that. NO MATTER HOW GREAT IT IS! It will make your stomach feel like exploding ALL DAY! Resist temptation. Then, for heaven’s sake, don’t stop at the best bakery in the Central Valley of California. And if you do stop there, don’t eat a frosted sugar cookie! Not even one bite! Even if it’s hours later, whatever you do, don’t eat a warm egg salad sandwich and brussel sprout, sweet potato chicken soup on top of that! You know there’s more. Don’t try to sample EVERY piece of chocolate in the Ferry Terminal! And for heaven’s sake, don’t try to eat a huge Chinese dinner on top of all that! But if you do, be sure to have the flowering tea. It’s very calming.
After we got through making ourselves sick at the Ferry we walked two blocks to catch the N Judah bus which the young lady at the butter pastery shop told us would take us to Union Square. What she didn’t tell us was that the N Juda buss ran only late at night. So after letting one or two busses pass us by, we got on the next bus that came along, and it took us where we wanted to go. The goal was to reach a store called Uniqulo. This is sort of the Japanese IKEA for clothes. You will enjoy how colorful it is.
Mary found plenty to buy. I bought another coat, so I could layer all three as we walked all night in San Francisco. I was almost warm enough as we toured the park including the ice rink, and walked across the street to Macy’s .
We had to go to Mary’s favorite Chinese restaurant for dinner. I had one potsticker, a few spoonfuls of wonton soup with sizzling rice in a coconut broth, and one tiny orange chicken nugget, and lovely flowering tea. It was probably really delicious.
After dinner we walked towards the bay to the BART station. We stopped at the Embarcadero Cinema, but decided that the only show we were in time to see, Hitchcock, was not worth possibly missing the BART, and our shuttle back to the hotel which ended at 10:30. So we shuffled back down the street to the station, and one and a half minutes after we arrived, the train pulled into the station, we boarded and sloshed back across the bay to Berkeley.
So much fun. So much food. So much shopping, So much cold. So much walking. So many pictures. You know I like to so…. 🙂
So what did you do this week-end?
Marsha Ingrao - Always Write 
47 responses to “San Francisco with Mary”
Great photos, Marsha. What a busy and exciting time you and Mary had. 🙂
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Yes we really did. I love the coat she talked me into buying. I hardly take it off inside or out! It feels as light as skin. It’s as warm as fur, and as soft as silk. It’s not so hot that you can’t breathe. It’s yummy!
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:green: Sounds like my kind of coat.
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You’d love it. It would be perfect for your next trip to Belize!!! 🙂
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This was supposed to be a green ‘envy’ emoticon, but it didn’t work. 🙂
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I’ve been there, that place between stuffed and gonna eat just one more bite anyway LOL
Loved the pics of Macy’s. Reminds me of NY. Though, I’d love to go back to California. Now I wanna go to SF even more. Sigh…
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Come on out!!! I’ve been to NYC once. It was great fun. I wrote about it in a couple of posts – made believe that they were fiction, only I’m not sure I know how to write fiction. We had so much fun, it should have been fiction!! 🙂
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Some of the best times are ones that feel like fiction…I wish I could go now. But I can’t my money’s laughing as I speak LOL. I really wanna live there though. It’s been on my mind for a while.
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It’s not a cheap place to live, but then neither is NY. If you live away from SF in CA, there are less expensive places to live, and then you can travel to SF on occasion. LIKE ME!! 🙂
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Oh cool, can you recommend a few that I can look into? Preferably non-car dependent areas.
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oooooo now that’s a little more difficult. All of California is car-dependent unless you are talking close enough to either LA or SF. And nothing that is not car-dependent is inexpensive. We live in the Central Valley, and that is much less expensive, but we drive a LOT! I used to put 30,000 miles a year on my car, and my husband did about the same. If you don’t mind not having a lot of space, you can rent rooms from people a lot of times. I know a friend in Berkeley who always has a roommate. It’s cheaper for them, and it helps him out, too. Berkeley is a wonderful place to live, and close enough to take BART. That’s where Mary and I stayed. My step-son used to live in Davis, and it’s only an hour or two from SF, but I loved that little college town. Not super cheap, but lots of bike riding in that town.
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Thank you so much for this info. I had a feeling it was like that. I’ve been hearing a lot about Davis just this week. I’ll look into the options you mentioned. Who knows what could happen. Btw, I could totally hear your “oooooo” 🙂
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🙂 yep!!! 🙂
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Spinach artichoke quiche sounds delicious! Also, is it really possible to eat too much as long as you’re still able to walk?
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I actually lost .5 pounds! So maybe not. I’m having left over brownie and cookies for breakfast! YIKES!!!
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… all that walking… 🙂
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Yes, but I walk 3 miles a day anyway without losing a pound, and watching my diet better!!!1 Yikes!!
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Oh, okay. Wow. Maybe the excitement? Happiness burns calories, I’m pretty sure of that.
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Oh I’m so excited. Whew, I just lost 10 pounds!!! 🙂
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🙂
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We all need a Mary in our lives…..maybe two of her.
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She’s a gold star, for sure!!! You’ll just have to come meet her – she’s one of a kind! 🙂
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Looks like you guys having fun a lot in there.:) I miss my Best friend back in the Philippines to spend like this quality time together, like you and your friend.:)
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I would miss my friends if I were living somewhere else. I bet you are making some new friends, or at least I hope so. Where are you now?
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I’m in Czech Republic Europe now. Yeah have friends here.:)
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I”m glad! That sounds like a long way from home, and a very different climate!!! 🙂
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It’s always amazing to spend time with friends. Damn sure, you had a great time.. Lovely shots!!!
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Thanks Rexlin! I do have a great time most of the time!!! Next time you’re in town, give me a call!!! 🙂
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Yeah, sure 🙂
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Awesome, I’ve not been to San Francisco but it really looks fun. It’s cool to have department stores that still artistically show windows….everything is in malls here because it’s so cold for so long.
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Where are you??? SF is never really warm. It’s about 60 all year, but it was really cold feeling when we were there. 🙂
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I live in Edmonton, East of the Rockies, north central Alberta…60 sounds fab today.
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Yes, I’m sure it’s pretty warm sounding to you! Our temperatures get into the 110s here in the summer. So when it gets down to 60s or so in the summer, we are really cold!!!
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What a HUGE day! I would have been asleep by lunchtime. But I love the idea of an IKEA for clothes store, that’s my kinda place.
Excellent pics. The coloured staircase is my fave 😉
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It was amazing!!! I loved it. The whole place was a photography spree waiting to happen! Everything was so colorful. Mary talked me into getting a coat. I’ve been wearing it constantly since I got it. I’d almost wear it to sleep in it’s so soft and warm! It probably weighs way less than a half pound. They specialize in things to keep you warm. That probably sounds awful to you right now in the heat of summer!!! 🙂
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I’m an Aussie who was in San Francisco in 2010…… I luved SF; I haven’t enjoyed myself so much anywhere else in the world (except my own country, of course).
And yes, I’ll remember to eat ‘conservatively’…. Thank You for the warning.. 😉
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hahaha I hope some day I can get to your lovely country. I have met so many people online that I adore from Australia. Mary was asking me when I was going to go meet people!!! 🙂
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What did I do this weekend? I SO enjoyed reading about your wonderful day. Maybe one day I’ll manage to get to San Francisco. I’d love to shop in that colorful shop. 🙂
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I hope you get there. It was really interesting. I bought a down coat on sale that probably weighs less than a half pound. It feels like silk. It’s yummy! 🙂
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Oooooo the coconut-broth sloshed rice and the flowering tea…I would really enjoy that just now- just my thing. What beautiful, gorgeous shots! Fascinating!!! WOO! In love with the photography, excellent!! Oh what a grand groovy spiffing good time lassie, LOVED this entry. Redolent of some of my own city-roving days, minus a Manny bear companion and an organised friend. One cannot have all….By zee way, those blazing, multi-hued stairs were very intriguing! Thank you for this, fabulous!
Autumn Jade
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Those were my favorite pictures in this batch. That was SUCH a colorful store! Even men’s clothing was wonderfully colorful!!! Wasn’t that tea amazing? So when you go to school in Berkeley, we will get together ALL the time and go to SF, and have a beautifully unorganized time, unless Mary agrees to come with us. 🙂 LOL Marsha Lee When are you and Sir coming out?????
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Hahaha MOST indubitably. Incessant grins. Don’t know yet, but will keep you updated lassie!!
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I hope I didn’t upset Sir too much asking if he is BLOND??? I love his sense of humor! It’s much like his daughter’s – and mine, I think. But I was born a blond, turned dark, turned gray, and remain a blond. hahaha Lots of love to you!!! 🙂
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Sounds like great fun! Lucky to have a friend like Mary to do all the arranging.
This weekend— a 30 mile bike ride yesterday though still a bit cool and damp, saw Promised Land and Zero Dark Thirty, dinners at home, and saw eldest son and grandkids today. All good! Time to catch up on the Downton Abbey I missed last week and catch the new episode in a bit.
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V saw zero Dark Thirty! Loved it!!!!
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San Francisco is our favorite City! Did you buy a bus pass to go all over the city on every possible mode of transportation – except Bart for only $20 for 3 days – It is a real deal when the cable care is $5 one way.
Thanks for stopping by today. Too bad you can go see all your Blogger Friends!
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I know!! They are spread out all over the world from India back around to China and Australia and all places in between!!! I had such a great time this afternoon. I’ll talk to you soon!!!! 🙂
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